Trayvon Martin Controversy

I do not know much about the Trayvon Martin shooting, but I have heard that there is much controversy surrounding the issue. I have heard that Trayvon was walking home wearing a hoodie carrying skittles and an iced tea when a neighborhood watchman shot him because he looked like he was up to no good. However, I have also heard that during this time Trayvon was on suspension from school for theft. While it is apparent that Trayvon has made some mistakes, and by no means was a saint, he certainly did not deserve to be gunned down in the streets of his very own neighborhood for wearing a hoodie and looking "suspicious". Trayvon's past suggests that he was a fellon; a kid that was not necessary on the best path. Being suspended from school is a big thing. If you are suspended from school for theft, it not looked highly upon by others, including myself. However, I do not think that this one instance shapes a person indefinitely. It could be completely possible that Trayvon was a a kind, caring individual who got lost and made bad mistakes along the way. On the other side of the fence, I do not know how I feel about the gunman. While it may be possible that Trayvon looked like he was up to "no good", I do not condone shooting people in the street. However, how can you call this man a racist? There is a lot of information that I, along with the rest of the public, lack, and I would like to learn more. Rest in peace Trayvon.

Is competition good?

There has always been a question as to whether competition is good or bad. This topic of conversation dates back to the start of corporations and monopolies during Andrew Jackson's presidency and has lasted until this very day and age. The range of competition can go from whether children should participate in interactive sports or whether companies are being too greedy or corrupt for their own good. Upon researching for this blog post, I read an exercept from a psychology self help book called "Be Your Own Therapist". This book excerpt talked about how a sense of competition can create a sense of determination and hard work among children. For example, being a part of interactive sports teams can push children to work hard to win games and improve at practices. This excerpt can be views here: http://www.psychologyhelp.com/work148.htm . JP Morgan was one of the more controversial members of the business community who practiced great competition in his US Steel Company. His company, the JP Morgan Social Business Advisor, posted an article discussing why competition is good: http://www.jmorganmarketing.com/why-competition-is-a-good-thing/ . One of the points in this article that struck a chord with me the most was the point that mentioned that people are always looking for the newer and better products, and without competition, there would be no iPod, Microsoft Windows Program, or Google. All of these products were created in a time period where the companies (whether it be Apple, Microsoft, or Google) were competing with others to make such landmark achievements in the technological community. I think that it is important to remember that competition can bring good for the community. Furthermore, competition benefits consumers, which makes up the majority of the American population. As mentioned in an article called "Competition is Actually Good" from OS News Online (http://www.osnews.com/story/18546/Competition_Is_Actually_Good ), competition between companies can drive prices of goods down, in order from one company to sell more products than the other. This, in turn, seems to have no negative downfalls. Consumers are offered two products, both at rapidly lowered prices, and simply have to make the choice of which one to buy. Overall, I strongly feel that competition is not a bad thing; it can instill hard work and determination, lead to the production of the best products, and benefit consumers buy marketing products at lower prices.

Art Review

A piece of artwork that I have thoroughly enjoyed recently is "Unthinkable" by Alicia Keys. The lyrics to this song can be seen here: http://www.metrolyrics.com/unthinkable-lyrics-alicia-keys.html .The song was released in 2010, but I really stumbled upon this song on my Pandora account the other day. I really like this song because I am really interested in the R/B, hip-hop, and rap genre of music. This song has a really good beat and bass to it, which makes it very easy to enjoy. Additionally, the lyrics talk about wanting to go out on a limb and experience something out of her comfort zone. As a teenage girl, I feel that lots of others, including myself, can related to this topic very much. This song is not the only one that Alicia Keys sings that I enjoying listening to. She has several other catchy chart-toppers, including "Fallin", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Empire State of Mind" ft. Jay Z. I think that I have so much appreciation for Alicia Keys because she came from a single family home and worked her way to success by the age of 16. In addition, she was also very academically oriented in school and even graduated as valedictorian of her class. I admire this because she truly displays that she is a smart, talented and driven woman who stopped at nothing to achieve her goals. Her talent is not debatable, she reaches highs and lows in her voice that many others struggle to, and can transition from R/B, like in the song "Unthinkable", to rap, like in the song "Empire State of Mind". I feel that others will be able to enjoy and relate to Alicia Keys' music as well. Each song has powerful and impacting lyrics that are ambiguous and can often have many different interpretations. In short, I really like the song "Unthinkable" by Alicia Keys and strongly recommend this song, and many others of hers, to anyone who enjoys music in that genre.

All About Me Responses

1. The Biggest Problem in America Today is... The biggest problem in America today is hard to pinpoint. Personally I feel that a number of problems are very life altering. However, if I were to pick just one that greatly effects life, I would have to say that the biggest problem in America today is that parents are afraid to parent. I feel that many parents breed ignorant children because instead of disciplining their children to teach them right from wrong, they want to be friends with their children and are afraid to punish them. I feel that a lot of America's other problems stem from this issue. Lack of parenting or discipline or both can lead to children that are rude and disrespectful to other adults. Additionally, many American children today feel it is not necessary to abide by "the rules" or government laws. I feel that with stricter parenting and a necessary sense of discipline, children will be more apt to respect their parents, follow "the rules", abide by laws, be kinder and more caring, and be overall a less ignorant, more educated community of human beings.
2. The Thing that Annoys Me the Most... There are a lot of little things, or pet-peeves, that annoy me. However, if I had to say that there was one thing that annoys me the most, I would probably say that it is uncleanliness or germs. As a self-proclaimed sufferer of OCD and germophobia, I find it very unsettling when people don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom, lick their fingers after eating something messy or leave their personal items a complete mess and pig sty. I honestly feel that it is not that difficult to take adequate, if not superior, care of your body simply by doing little things that you are taught to do as a very young child, like washing your hands for thirty seconds under warm water with soap. I find it unnecessary to be gross and disgusting when it only takes about 5 minutes to do these simple things. If I could wish for one thing, it would be to clean America.
3. A Famous Person Alive Today who I Admire is... A famous person alive today who I admire is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah was born very, very poor in a rural town in Mississippi. She was sexually and verbally abused all her life and was constantly told she was not good enough. By her mid twenties, she had revolutionized the television scene with her talk show. As an African American woman on television during the time period following integration, her show was not suspected to be very successful. However, Oprah was the first woman in history to make a billion dollars. This is quite an accomplishment for a woman who literally came from nothing. Additionally, Oprah started a school in African for underprivileged youth, she donates thousands of dollars annually to non-profit organizations and she gives back to her fans and viewers of the show. If I could wish to be like any famous person today, I would wish to be like Oprah, a proud, established woman who takes charge of her life and her community with grace, elegance and generosity.

Blog Day 5- 3 Parts & Responses

1. Yolanda is a very interesting character so far in this novel. From her history, I have learned a lot about how she has become the challenged woman she is today. Unlike many other characters in many other novels, Yolanda has not used her past experiences and memories to progress and learn, but has instead  on these instances and regressed to a mentally unstable state. Yolanda has had a terrible past with men that has been touched on in the recent chapters. She has been used for pure physical satisfaction and also has left her long time boyfriend. She still deals with the stress, memories and emotional damage. All of this combined has led her to be deemed "crazy" and sent to live in a mental hospital, as advised by her mother, to try and find a way to coupe with life and its trials and tribulations. Overall, readers can clearly see that the strife in Yolanda's life has led her to the state of insanity that she is currently in.
2. One of the most basic, but often looked over, positive stories in this novel so far is the Garcia's move to America. While some may look at this move as a bit of a culture shock and somewhat of a difficult adjustment, I would view this as a positive experience in this book. The Garcias moved the America to escape the unjust ruling of the dictator of the Dominican Republic that Carlos Garcia had worked for years to overthrow. They were relatively well-off, due to their high status in the Dominican Republic. In addition, Carlos and Mami's relationship stayed relatively the same and the family was kept intact, in the end, despite minor hiccups that all families with teenagers face. While some people can tell horror stories of their immigration to another country, this one is relatively positive given the context. I would consider this positive motion both person to person (within the Garcia family itself) and also person to society (with the interactions between the Garcias and the new American society).
3. I found this article very interesting. I am not very up to date about Jeremy Lin and the identity crisis thereafter, but I thought that this article connected very well to the story of the Garcia girls. Both are a nationality that has often struggled to find where exactly they fit in society. Often, many immigrants find that they must choose between being "white" and being "black", and when they fail to fit into the stereotypical mold that society has cast for these colors, they do not know how to perceive themselves or others. Regardless of what Jeremy Lin's screen name was when he was fifteen, I think, personally, that he must have struggled with a personal identity crisis himself, whether it be big or small. However, this in no way, I feel, should effect the way people perceive his athletic success now. Just because Jeremy Lin is an Asian American, playing basketball, a sport dominated by the African American community, does not mean that he is trying to be anything that he is not, he is just following his passions.

Current Event Articles

1. "This Valentine's Day, Occupy the Romantic-Industrial Complex". I chose this article primarily because Valentine's Day was yesterday and there is always people who love this holiday and people who hate it. Being indifferent to the holiday, I chose to see what this article about the "Romantic-Industrial Complex" had to say. This article focused mainly on why society "buys-in" to getting heart shaped presents, chocolates and flowers as a way to profess love for another person. This article mentions that companies that market Valentine's Day presents net billions in dollars every year. In addition, this article mentions that the wedding experience costs Americans 70-80 billion dollars every year. I found it very intriguing that this article mentioned that marrying for money is not a new concept, but marrying for love is. Overall, I don't necessarily agree with the author's point that people should not celebrate this "Halmark" holiday. I think that regardless of whether or not people feel they need material gifts and a special day to feel loved, it is truly a harmless day that can make people happy, which is all that matters.
2. "US, Europe Eye Risky, Unprecedented Penalty for Iran Over Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons".  I chose this article because nuclear weapons always have been, and will always continue to be, a very important issue in the face of global governments. This article talks about how Iran is suspected to be harboring nuclear weapons that could be potentially used against any nation that they feel is unwilling to cooperate with them and/or stresses different moral or ethical values than Iran. Therefore, President Barack Obama wants to evict Iran from SWIFT, a company that deals with overseas oil. Thus, if Iran is evicted, overseas oil will take a skyrocketing price increase over the next couple of years. For many countries currently in a great economic depression, spending more on oil is simply not an option. If I were in this position, I would find this decision very difficult. On one hand you have a dangerous, unreliable nation with such great and destructive weapons that leaves every nation, especially the USA, in fear of attack. However, on the other hand, Iran supplies many nations including the USA with oil, without which many nations would be oil deficient and facing even greater economic despair. Whichever the decision may be, I feel that this is a sticky, loose-loose conflict for everyone except Iran.
3. "Monica Yant Kinney: Pa. Bill Preventing Local Gun Crackdowns Would be Travesty." I chose this article primarily because I knew that guns are such a large moral conflict in this nation during this time period. A lot of people struggle with the moral issue of wether or not people should be able to own guns for their own personal uses, one of which includes protection. To be honest, I found this article somewhat confusing. From what I could understand, this article talked about how Pennsylvania legislatures are enacting bills to make sure that if household guns are lost or stolen, this must be reported. Legislators are also pushing for a bill that sues any township that pass local gun laws. Personally, I am not really sure about how I feel about guns. Guns can be imperative to one's own protection when living in certain areas or working at certain jobs. However, guns can also lead to increased violence and often accidental death. However, overall, I feel that any person should be allowed to own a gun with a proper license and extreme care and caution. Refusing to sell to criminals would surely end the violence and extreme caution would surely reduce accidental death due to guns.

Men vs. Women and Character Analysis

 Part One: Questions about Men vs. Women

1. What is expected of men and women in America in 2012 that’s specific to gender? In America, even in the present day 2012, gender roles are still very evident in society. Men are still expected to pursue careers in the hands-on field, rather than jobs like interior design. In addition, men are still expected to ask women out on a date first or ask the woman to marry them. On the other hand, women are expected to raise a family. While many more women are becoming professional business people, many traditional families still look at women as homemakers and caretakers.
2. How are men and women perceived in America in 2012 by the opposite sex? Often, I find that men are perceived as lazy, careless, and for a lack of a better word, stupid, by women. Women often underestimate what men can truly do without constant badgering from their wives/girlfriends/mothers. On the other hand, I feel that men often perceive women as their personal possessions, subject to whatever they want, whenever they want it. If women are strong and independent and successful, men often perceive them as bossy and intimidating and therefore less attractive.
3. What are the difficulties/advantages of being a man or a woman in 2012? There are many difficulties and advantages to being a woman in 2012. Some of the difficulties of being a woman in this era is that you are always surrounded by women in the media that are picture-perfect. They are the right size and weight and very beautiful and it is often a very hard struggle to fit the mold of this type of woman. In addition, women are often still frowned upon in the professional world. Some men look down upon women who look to pursue careers in engineering, computer sciences, or criminal justice. However, there are also some advantages to being a woman. As a woman, teachers and elders treat me a lot better than they treat my male classmates. This is because boys and men are often told to never hit a woman and to respect a woman no matter what.
4. What are some stereotypes associated with being a man or a woman in 2012? Some stereotypes of men in this era is that they are all players who take advantage of women and disrespect them. In addition, another stereotype of men is that they are all rough-and-tumble guys who feel no pain. Some stereotypes of women is that they are caddy and gossipers. Another is that they are always very girly and frilly. 

Part Two: Character Analysis

• Based on what I know about Yolanda so far, she is a very love-struck, hurt, and grieving woman. She has left the love of her life, John, and had a very tough relationship with him because she was so timid, slow to love, and often had moments of insanity. She has also struggled with previous relationship in college with men who have treated her poorly. I feel that Yolanda would say that men take advantage of women, in accordance with her relationship with Rudy Elmenhurst. Rudy was only interested in Yolanda for a physical relationship, and was not interested in getting to know her for her personality. For this reason, I could see Yolanda saying that men are self-absorbed, cheaters, liars, and only out to please their physical needs.